BR549 "DOG DAYS" (Dualtone)

January 14, 2006|By Larry Printz Of The Morning Call

COUNTRY Over the last 10 years, Nashville band BR549 has produced a unique brand of retrobilly, swing and classic country despite a rotating line-up, which has shifted again since 2004's "Tangled in the Pines." On "Dog Days," the quintet has been shaved to a quartet, with Chuck Mead still singing lead, multi-instrumentalist Don Herron (who has toured with Dylan), drummer Shaw Wilson and new bassist Mark Miller in the lineup. Somewhat surprisingly, the album represents a new maturity for the band; BR549's influences are synthesized with a newfound confidence. There's an opening blast of bluegrass in "Poison," an effortless cool to the lugubrious "Lower Broad St. Blues," and an Elvis flavor on "The Devil and Me," featuring the Jordainaires. Mead's voice is in fine form, and it's amazing how he adapts it to so many genres. The whole affair has been expertly crafted by producer John Keane, who has worked with the Cowboy Junkies, Uncle Tupelo and R.E.M. He gives the music a clean sound and a powerful punch. The band has rarely sounded better. Need proof? Check out the cover of Dave Edmunds' "A-1 On The Jukebox." Unlike the protagonist of the song, BR549 should have no problem landing a spot on your CD jukebox, or, hopefully, the charts.